On Nuclear Disarmament, A Jewish Perspective

As we begin the
21st century we must be alert and share our knowledge about
the possible destruction of our planet. We have begun this century with words
of forgiveness and reconciliation from the Pope. We have begun this century
knowing full well the impact of the Holocaust on our world. We have begun this
century preaching about “possibilities of peace” as differentiated from the
century of
violence and war and fear of the 20th century.

While words may be comforting and hopeful, let us not be naive.

We have 6,000 strategic nuclear warheads in this country on alert – just 15
minutes away from destroying any city in this world. Let us not be naive.

These nuclear bombs are being carried by “Peacekeeper Missiles” and are not
to
be confused as weapons of mass destruction. Let us not be naive.

Witness India and Pakistan. They could destroy not only themselves but could
have devastating consequences for all of us if these enemies use their nuclear
weapons. We have been witness in our lives to those who want to rewrite history
and
respond to matters of territory and religious and ethnic differences with weapons
that destroy. From this rabbi’s reading of history, 100 million people have
been
killed in the name of totalitarian godless ideologies; 25 million by the Nazis
and
about 85 million by communism.

Weapons and nuclear arms are the way to achieve power. Perhaps until some
major city disappears we will remain indifferent. Indifference, as Elie Wiesel
stated,
is worse than silence. We in the interfaith religious community must continue
to
speak out loudly and challenge the indifference that surrounds us.

Despite the end of the Cold War, there is a cover-up. For America’s policy
is
still a doctrine of “mutually assured destruction” that can end all life anywhere.
Let
us not be naive. Our policy under six former Presidents was to secure an effective
worldwide nuclear nonproliferation agreement. This past fall our U.S. Senate
refused
to ratify the test ban treaty. Yet we urge other governments to stop and sign
the
treaty, which we have not.

There is a new special club at every airport. Show that you have nuclear weapons
and you are admitted. The size of the once exclusive club is growing. The great
challenge of this new century is to abolish nuclear weapons. It is the only
way to save
this earth at some future date. The bright promise of a new millennium is now
being
clouded by the nuclear threat to humanity’s future.

Whatever the gloom, there are signs of progress that should encourage us. Wind
power, for example, is a $3 billion industry that is beginning to show its
potential as
a cornerstone of a new solar economy that may replace fossil fuels. If that
encounter
with environmental challenges can be met, so can the challenge to stop the
potential
nuclear destruction.

Just over three decades ago we broke out of earth’s field of gravity to journey
to the moon. Few of us imagined growing so quickly from air travel to space
exploration.

The stage is set to conquer one of the greatest challenges of our times. The
future of civilization is
at stake. As caught up as Americans are with the technology industry and its
tremendous advantages
in economic growth, we must develop the same excitement to save the world.
More information
instantly about our world does not lead to wisdom.

“From where, if not from us, will come the warning that a new combination of
technology and
brutality can transform the planet into a crematorium?” With these words, uttered
before the Israeli
Knesset, Holocaust survivor Samuel Pisar challenged the Jewish people to draw
on their history and
their tradition in preventing a nuclear holocaust. Rarely before in the history
of humankind has
the world needed the values and ideals of our tradition more than now as it
teeters on the edge
of the abyss of nuclear destruction.

We, of all people, must recognize that the unbelievable can happen. The world
would not
believe Auschwitz existed until the smoke ceased to rise from its chimneys.
Today, despite claims by
government and military officials that nuclear war is winnable, that “limited”
nuclear war is feasible
and that a U.S. first strike in Europe may be required, few of us believe that
a nuclear war could
occur. Yet here is where the analogy to the Holocaust ends. Auschwitz had not
existed before
1940 – in reality or in the public imagination. Disbelief at that point was
understandable. Our
disbelief is not that Auschwitz did happen. Hiroshima and Nagasaki vanished
in a flash. Perhaps the
contemporary world suffers from what sociologist Robert Lifton calls nuclear
“psychic numbing.” We
cannot comprehend the effects of a nuclear blast. We refuse to believe nuclear
war can occur.

The Jewish people are the bearers of a tradition of ethical monotheism that
has transformed
the history of humankind. Throughout the ages, the rabbis have drawn on that
tradition in order
to realize the commands and ideals of the Torah and to implement the vision
of the prophets into
their own time. Today, once again, we must search the tradition so that we
may contribute to the
change, which must take place – the change from the path of nuclear destruction
to a world in
which nations can resolve peacefully their differences.

My colleague and friend Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action
Center in
Washington, D.C., observes the following. Two central religious ideas transformed
the political
history and social history of the 20th century. The first is the notion that
we are created in the image
of God, an idea that resonates with the foundation of democracy and of human
rights. The second is
that we are partners of God in shaping a better and more hopeful future for
all God’s children, but
especially for the poor and the weak and the vulnerable.

So it’s no surprise that religious leaders were at the forefront of the labor
struggle, the civil rights
struggle, the anti-war struggle, the environment, and the nuclear disarmament
issues. All of these
efforts resonated with those two profound ideas. And I think with all of the
terrible things that have
happened, “we end the 20th century with more hope for humankind, because of
the acceptance of
those ideas that we’ve never known in our past.”

We are becoming aware of the possible limitations of time to save this planet.
We need the
interfaith community to speak up and teach with passion as to how we must save
this planet for
ourselves and not from ourselves. Saving the world from nuclear attacks cannot
be a spectator sport.

We must all learn and change the priorities of our government. There is no
middle path. We must
be the discontents with the civilization as it exists. The decisions for a
nuclear-free world must be
made by this generation. Another may not have the opportunity that we do.

When we saw the photographs of the earth taken in space 30 years ago we were
in awe. From
the Apollo expeditions we knew we were divided by politics but we were united
by ecological systems.

Those photos inspired the first Earth Day. New environmental laws were passed.
Now there must
be a groundswell of international governments spearheaded by the people to
reform and guard our
planet in this new century, so that all of God’s children will live free from
fear and that we will fulfill
the prophet’s warning “that nation shall not lift up sword against nation neither
shall we learn war
anymore.” Let us not be naive!